DNA Dysfunctions
by JH-hollyberry
Summary: Annabeth Chase, a young doctor fresh to the world, is hired at the Mental and Mutation Institution. Thinking she will mostly be helping the mentally disabled, she is surprised when she is pulled into a dangerous game of patients with strange abilities and mutations. Is the M.M.I running illegal tests on these patients? And what is it that draws her to the enigma with green eyes?
1. Chapter 1: Color of the Sea

**Alright...so, I was GOING to put this in my Tales to Come collection, but I already have like five chapters written for it, and figured with how far I already am with this, its almost pointless. So...yeah. Again, I'm REALLY A.D.D.**

**I don't own anything.**

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The Color of the Sea _Day One ~ 7:36 AM_

The bleak white corridors seemed to be endless. Onward, with the click of heels, her guide brought her further and further inward into the M.M.I building, the dim lighting shining ominously over the blank walls caused for her to swallow.

"Here in this corridor, we have our subjects. The numbers labeled on the doors of each patient show their status of dysfunction. A one or two will not have much care requirement, but a six or ten are very unstable. We don't have very many of those though, a ten is very rare. Since this will be your first week, you will most likely be assigned to one of lower grades which will consist of..."

Annabeth began to tune the drawling voice of her guide out. This 'Jennifer' co-worker of hers was grating irately on her nerves already on her first day. She came to this hospital to be a doctor of the mentally disabled, but the way the brunette spoke of the patience as subjects and dysfunction was offensive. Her brows were furrowed, angling down at her own gray eyes.

"Miss Chase," Jennifer snapped, noticing the unfocused glaze over the newcomers face. Annabeth pulled herself out of her thought course and met angry dull blue eyes piercing daggers toward her.

Adjusting with the sight collar on her white lab coat, the twenty year old blonde blinked. "What was that?"

The brunette huffed, much to the annoyance of Annabeth. If they were going to assign her a guide to show her the ropes, they could have picked someone with a little more patience.

"I asked if you had any questions."

After taking a moment to think back on the information she'd been told, Annabeth looked back at Jennifer. "What does M.M.I stand for again?"

"Mental and Mutation Institution."

She tilted her head. "Why mutation? I thought this was merely a mental disability hospital."

Jennifer looked at her in disbelief. "_Sweetie," _the older girl hissed, "this is _much _more than just a mental hospital. In the DNA of these subjects, mutation could be considered a disease."

Annabeth frowned. She was _really _starting to dislike this girl.

So far, the job she had taken seemed it would go well though. It was all rather simple; she would just take care of the patience and their needs. After graduating at an early age of seventeen, she had easily blasted through six years of college in half the time required, and now at the age of twenty, she was exactly where she planned to be. Only most Hospitals refused to hire her because of her age, not believing the statistical evidence of her grades and finished courses.

Finally, after months for searching, she was hired by the M.M.I, and thrilled to be there. But something about the emptiness of the rooms and the stiff staff had her on edge.

"Now come, _Miss Chase,_" Jennifer sneered, "I'll show you some of the easier patients you will most likely be working with. Always remember, hallway A is where the Mentally disabled are, hallway B is the Mutation section, and hallway C is where we keep the more...dangerous subjects.

This caught Annabeth off guard, her steps faltering for a moment. _Dangerous?_

Quickly she caught up with the long strides of her co-worker and walked in pace. She opened her mouth to ask more about the patients in hallway C, when Jennifer began to talk once again, in her high-pitched nasally voice the scratched inside of her ears.

"Let's start in hallway A. Here is where the families can visit if needed, we take them to the garden for fresh air. At all times, as they are outside of their room, you will need to be watching and right by there sides. Some hallucinate, and go running like a dog after a squirrel, so keep a watchful eye."

Gray eyes scanned the hallway. It was simple, with tan colored walls, and the doors to each dorm were a dark red wood, golden plated bolts on the outside with clipboards to the right of each door, no doubt showing the patients history and reports, as well as medication needed and how frequently. Annabeth also took note to the numbers posted outside of the rooms, all of them in hallway A seemed to be either one's or two's with a scarce three or four.

The atmosphere was calming, she could see through the small windows in each door nice room settings, nurses smiling as they listened to kids in wheelchairs talk enthusiastically about something small and simple like seeing a bird in the garden. Sights like that made her smile.

Jennifer only stopped her quick stomps at one point to introduce Annabeth to a fourteen year old girl named Diana, who had a traumatic experience horse back riding, and a hoof connected harshly to her head. The girl was quiet, giving polite smiles and nodding yes and no's until they left her to continue watching out the window.

At the end of the long hall, they reached another door and exited.

"Alright, now that was hallway A. Because the boss is having troubles hiring people who are willing to work with the subjects, you will most likely be working in hallway B."

Annabeth's eyes widened. This wasn't quite what she had in mind. She had thought she would be working with kids or adults more like Diana...what was she in for?

As soon as they entered hallway B, she noticed the obvious differences, and her eyes widened even more in horror. It looked far more like a prison.

The walls were stark white. The ground concrete gray, hard and cold. Each door was locked with dark gray bolts that looked to be made of strong steel. No sunlight streamed from windows, and nothing decorated the walls. Only rectangular openings could be seen into each dorm, the window had a metal lattice design to prevent anything bigger than a bug from slipping in or out.

"Miss Chase! Keep up!"

Whipping out of her reverie, worry began to swell up inside of her. These people with mutations...were they _this _dangerous?

Trotting up to Jennifer, she pulled the easily angered brunette to a halt by grabbing her shoulder. Determination coursed through her, too strong to be effected in the slightest by the snarl and daggers she received from the pointed look of Jennifer as she whirled on her.

"What?!"

Standing sternly and jerking her chin high, Annabeth spoke flat and straight, "I want to meet one of the patients."

Jennifer placed her hand on her hips, scowl lining a 'V' over her dark brown angry eyes. "You already did!"

She shook her head. "No, I want to meet one with a mutation."

For a moment, they glared each other dead straight in the eyes, neither backing down before Jennifer arrogantly huffed and flipped her hair over a shoulder. "Fine. I'll introduce you to the Dare Nutcase."

Turning sharply on her heel, the brunette stalked towards a nearby door and began to undo the bolt with a _clang. _

"Rachel! I want you to meet someone!"

Annabeth gulped, her steely resolve fading as she glanced at the number near this girls door. Her grade was a five, so not too high, but not that low either. It was then, glancing around, she realized most of the numbers were five or higher.

As the heavy door swung stiffly open, she stepped farther into the threshold and gasped.

The room was as basic as it could get. A small bed in the corner, white and gray walls and ceiling, a wooden dresser for clothes, a small table with a single chair, and a toilet and sink shoved casually into the corner of the room.

But what caught her off guard was the very average looking nineteen year old girl standing in the room, a paintbrush in hand and an easel propped up against the wall.

Jennifer cleared her throat, and the patient whipped around. Her hair was a frizzy red, matched with sparkling emerald eyes. She wore an average shirt and jeans, all splattered with various colors of oily paint.

"Annabeth, this is Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Rachel, this is Miss Chase, a new doctor here at M.M.I."

Before Annabeth could even open her mouth, Rachel put down her brush and offered a blinding smile. "Hi! Oh my gosh, Annabeth you're finally here! I was wondering when you were going to show up! Oh look! I captured your gray eyes perfectly!"

The blonde fluttered her eyelids, completely baffled. The red head was gesturing proudly toward the easel she had been painting before, and sure enough, two eyes were portray with an iris of stormy gray that she knew to be hers.

She turned to Jennifer, who held a bored expression and nonchalantly chomped her gum with a loose jaw. "How...?"

"Her mutation causes her to see things before they happen. This causes her to be quite...eccentric."

Annabeth turned back to the beaming redhead and gave a polite smile. "It's nice to meet you Rachel. You're a wonderful artist."

"Aw, thank you!" Rachel smiled. "I just draw things I see and dream ya know? You probably think I'm crazy too, but hey. Its true! I'm _never _wrong. Like take you for example! Watch for the color of the sea!"

Blanching, she once again turned towards Jennifer for an explanation, but all the brunette did was shrug as she studied her nails and gesture for it being time to leave.

"It...it was nice meeting you Rachel," Annabeth nodded her head, as she turned to leave.

She grinned, "you too Annabeth! And don't forget, look for the color of the sea!" Just as the door was about to close and the blond made her way out of the extatic redhead's room, Rachel called once more. "Oh, and know your dad loves you!"

She froze.

_How could she know about my dad?_

Completely flabbergasted, and a little freaked, she rushed out of the room and back into the safety of the hallway and Jennifer redid the lock behind her.

Her breathing was heavier than before she entered, her logical mind buzzing. It was impossible. It was _crazy. _

"Alright Miss Chase. Happy now? Your little tour is finished and we can go to the office and see who you're assigned."

Reclaiming her calm demeanor, Annabeth stood up straight and nodded.

As they made their way out, she a question registered in her mind. "Wait, what about hallway C?"

Jennifer halted in her tracks and turned to give Annabeth a scrutinizing gaze. "Look Chase, you don't go down that corridor unless told to, assigned someone in there, or have a valid reason and appointed order to do so. Got it? Their are precautions for entering there and if you don't follow them, you could get hurt."

With that, she once again sped off, the befuddled blonde trailing along.

Her pride was wavering from this first day experience. What had she gotten herself into?


	2. Chapter 2: Behind these Doors

** I don't own anything.**

**Here's the second chapter. Its kind of long, but not too bad. Hope you like!**

**Also, I want to quick give you an imagery of what I base the characters to look like. Here is some great art work, check it out!**

_**Percy- DeviantArt/germanmissiles/ Percy Son of Neptune (2012) version (I absolutely love this one 3)**_

_**Jason-DeviantArt/ germanmissiles/ Jason Son of Jupiter (2010) version**_

_**Nico- Viria's fanart**_

**_Annabeth- Deviant ARt/burdge-bug art_ **

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**Behind the Door **_ Day One ~ 8:43 AM_

Sighing, Annabeth impatiently tapped her pencil against her leg. For the last half hour she had been sitting in her employers office, completely ignored as Jennifer and her boss Dr. D discussed who she would be assigned to.

Apparently, they couldn't reach an agreement.

She listened tentatively, still bemused by the occurrences of her new job already in her first day.

"What about the Stoll twins?"

"Nah. While they're not dangerous, they are the worst, or best if you look at it that way, kleptomaniacs out there. She'd go nuts."

Dr. D hummed an agreement before licking chicken grease off his fingers and leaning back in his chair as he ate. "Alright, Clarisse?"

Jennifer scoffed. "_I've _got Clarisse. Besides, La rue would snap her like a twig with that temper."

"Gardner?"

"...that could work. She's manageable. But Miss Chase is working full time, so she needs two more patients to manage. Who else?"

Annabeth frowned. They were acting like she wasn't sitting _right there. _Not only that, but they were doubting her capability. Her pride raged at this low blow, and before comprehending her position, she sat up straight and interrupted stubbornly. "Excuse me sir? Dr. D, I am capable of any patient you have here."

As soon as the words were out, she mentally cursed herself. Both her boss and Jennifer were now giving her scornful looks, but she remained outwardly determined. If she wanted to show them what she could do, she would not cower.

Mr. D arched a brow, "Miss Chase. These DNA mutations are unlike anything any school has ever taught you. While your background is impressive, I don't think you have any experience in this. Very few do."

"With all respect sir, I at least deserve a chance."

…

A heavy silence hung in the air as her boss studied her with a scrutinizing pudgy face. Seconds passed with the tick of a clock before finally, he spoke.

"Very well Annabelle. You will be assigned to Gardner, Levesque, and the Grace girl. Their files will be by their dorm, and I expect you to work as efficiently as you claim you can. Now leave. I have paper work to do, and you have patients to tend to."

With that, Dr. D spun around and continued to eat his chicken. Jennifer looked wide eyed as she walked out the office door, snatching Annabeth's wrist on the way out.

She didn't even get a chance to correct him on her name.

As soon as the door closed behind them, the brunette turned to the blonde, throwing up her hands. "What the heck were you thinking!? You just got assigned to some of the hardest subjects in the building!"

Annabeth scowled. "I know what I'm doing. I'm going to prove you both wrong. I can handle this."

Jennifer stuck a rigid finger at her. "Fine Chase. But you're digging yourself a pit to fall in. You're just lucky he didn't give you Di Angelo or Jackson." Annabeth wanted to ask about that statement but was intercepted by her co-worker once again gripping her wrist and pulling her down another corridor. "Now come on," she growled. "I have to show you who you're working with and what to do. We'll start with Gardner, she's pretty simple. Then Levesque. It's Grace I'm worried about."

Not knowing what any of these names meant, Annabeth numbly nodded and yanked her wrist away to walk freely behind Jennifer.

They made it into Sector B, and walked towards another door, not far from where she could hear Rachel Dare singing something at the top of her lungs. Fidgeting all the way, Jennifer finally unlocked the door and swung it open, pulled Annabeth inside, and closed it behind, making sure the key was still in her palm.

"Katie, someone's here to see you."

Annabeth looked around, noting that the room was the very same as Rachel Dare's. Simple, basic and boring. How did they live in such a cave?

The girl sitting on her bed with a book looked up, her age seeming to be about eighteen. Immediately at the sight of the new blonde, she smiled and stood, marking her page with a...was that a flower petal?

"Oh hello! Who's this?" She smiled. Katie had straight brown hair, bangs clipped with a flower design, and forest green eyes, like a sea of stems.

Jennifer did the usual introductions. "Katie, this is your new assigned therapist and doctor, Annabeth Chase. She's new here."

Annebeth nodded to her patient. She was confused as to why someone who seemed so innocent and sweet was locked away in a crazy house. Looking down at the clipboard in her hand, it read that Gardner was a six.

Looking back up, she met the hazel eyes of the younger girl. It was then that she noticed the slight caution, the skeptical glint that shown in her eyes. Behind the forest iris was a silent plea, like she was studying her new assigned doctor like a caged animal that had been hurt before. It sent a warning flash up Annabeth's spine.

"Katie here will only take small management. She prefers being out in nature, so if she goes through a cycle, or has an anxiety attack, get her either back here, or in the garden, but have a serum just in case her mutation starts up. Any funny business and just a prick will knock her out. Got it?"

Annabeth looked puzzled at Jennifer. Several statements in that information bothered her. One, she was talking about Katie as if she was a lab experiment. Second, she said it _right in front of her_. Glancing up, she saw the fury pour into the patients eyes and clench her small hands. What also got her attention was the hurt that flashed across her face. It was enough for Annebeth to feel sympathy for her. Third however, was the talk of her mutation. What mutation did she have?

It was only after a beat that she realized she had spoken that last thought out loud.

Jennifer arched a brow at the interruption, and turned purposefully back to Katie. "When three O' clock comes around and she brings you to the garden, I want you to show her your mutation, only _limited _and _marginally_ though. Any trouble or any attempt at escape and_ the_ consequence. Got it Gardner?"

Katie visibly paled and quickly nodded.

"Now, Annabeth here will be back in an hour to start your sessions. Let's go Chase."

With that, they left the resolute looking eighteen year old in her desolate dorm room.

Annabeth sighed. This was nothing like she had signed up for. It was so confusing, baffling, not _logical._

Ignoring the chills that had seemed to overtake the surface of her skin since she got to the M.M.I, she followed Jennifer out of hallway B, and instead of taking a left like she expected, they took a sharp right until stopping outside of hallway C. A sudden dawning realization flushed color from her face.

"Wait," Annabeth stuttered. "my other two patients are in...Sector C?"

Jennifer narrowed her eyes. "What did you think? You annoyed Dr. D, saying you could handle anything without even fully knowing what it is we do here, and you get assigned the harder patients just to be proven wrong. That's how the game goes. Now come on. But before we go, you can't have any metals on you, and always have earplugs."

Gray eyes widened as she nodded. She was given a pair of pink plugs from the brunette and did a once over to make sure she didn't have any jewelry on before both figures entered the hallway.

It seemed with every hallway, they became more blank. C was the same blank sheet and dull colors as B, but even more so. No windows were on the doors to the dorms, instead they stood like pillars, giant concrete slabs standing upright, each with a name printed in bold lettering and a number in bright red, almost like a warning sign.

She resisted the urge to turn and run.

Instead she followed the echoing footsteps of her co-worker straight down the haunting corridor.

They stopped shortly through, much to Annabeth's content, glad she could still see the exit from where she stood.

For a moment, her Dyslexia shifted the words and number on the door, before she regained control of her dancing vision and seeing the words: _Hazel Levesque- 8.3_

The bolts took much longer to unlock than any of the others did, and as soon as the door swung open, she held her breath, fearing the worst.

She entered the small room and almost choked at how bland it was. It was more of a cage. A cage that would cause someone to surely go insane.

It also seemed to be devoid of any type of metal, strangely. Anything that might have been was replaced by either wood or plastic.

Sitting propped up by a single pillow on a stiff bed, was a girl, no older than fifteen. She jumped at the sound of her door open, and immediately dropped the paper and pencil she had in her hands.

Wide, scared golden eyes landed on Jennifer. Her dark skin and caramel curls contrasted together well, but absolute fear painted across her young, pretty features.

"Miss Wilson! Please, no more tests! I can't recover that fast...I..I..." she stuttered, pressing her back against the wall.

Annabeth watched with horror as the girl began to cry and blubber on.

"Let me go! Please! I'm not crazy, I'm not a mutant, I'm just a girl!"

Jennifer sighed, exasperated. "Hazel...calm down."

The girl didn't respond, she continued crying.

The brunette was becoming irritated, and frowned as she pulled out a syringe from her bag. "Alright, well. You can fully meet her later. She's having a relapse."

Before the twenty year old doctor could get a word in, Jennifer approached the sputtering teenage girl, needle poised and ready.

"No! No more shots! Leo! Nico! Percy, help! Percy!"

A sudden panic came across Jennifer, and quickly she lunged forward and pricked the dark skin of Hazel; her body collapsed to the ground immediately.

"What...what..." Annabeth tripped over her suddenly heavy and dry tongue. Gray eyes followed the movements of her co-worker, who pulled the fifteen year old girl back onto her bed and propped her neck on the pillow before breathing a sigh of relief and packing away her syringe; turning back to Annabeth and wiping the sweat off her brow.

"Whew. These walls are sound proof, but sometimes they can still hear each other. That could have been bad had any of them heard. Now, before I introduce you to your last patient, I think I'll give you the rundown about hallway C. Come along shall we?"

Annabeth didn't move right away, the scene that had just played before her scarring the pleas of the young girl into her brain. It had been done so cold. So cruelly done. Surely it was illegal to do so. It couldn't be right.

Without realization, Jennifer had already pulled the numb Annabeth out of the room and relocked the door. The huffy thirty year old brunette was leading her towards the first door, backtracking near the exit.

The first door read: _Piper Mclean- 8_

"If you ever are assigned to help out Mariah, she's who works with this patient, then know that if you are to ever enter this room, put in your earplugs and have a syringe handy. This subject is what we call a 'charm-speaker', her mutation is in her words. She can make you do anything with just telling you to do it. Dangerous if not controlled."

Annabeth didn't say a word. Just stared at the name, the number, and the information on the clipboard hanging to the right. It seemed this girl was nineteen also, same as Rachel. She wondered if she too was just a scared little girl as Katie and Hazel seemed to be. What had these people been through? Are they really as different to herself and others as the doctors made it seem?

Following Jennifer along the lonely hallway, she next coming to a door that said: _Leo Valdez-_ _9.5_

Once again she registered his clipboard, and his young age of sixteen.

"This one is nuts. He controls and creates fire, loves to build trinkets. If we let him, he could probably make a bomb out of close pins and paper. We often give him little metal trinkets to make helicopters and other _safer _objects with just to keep his nerves under control. His powers are very unstable. I'm his doctor, so if you ever help me on any of my runs, come with fire safety equipment."

Annabeth blanched. "Um...you said ten's were rare and dangerous. He...he's the highest number you have here...right?"

Jennifer's response was a dark chuckle as she lead her to the next door.

The next two doors were parallel to each other, and read similar names.

_Jason Grace-10.5_

_Thalia Grace-10_

"These two are siblings, and can control various storm aspects, such as lightning, and winds. Jason is quieter of the two, but is very much determined to escape the M.M.I. Thalia is much more outspoken. Many of her assigned doctors have quit, or been injured. She's angry that we have her in confinement. Watch your back."

The curly haired blonde frowned. "Uh, which one am I assigned to? You said I had Grace." She glanced at their ages; Jason was eighteen and Thalia twenty.

Jennifer smirked, "you have Thalia. I'll introduce you later and give you the drill. She's difficult to work with, but we can't keep them in here with no survival necessities. They all need food, water and exercise, so we can go over that later too."

And on they went.

They reached the final two doors, one still off the the side, and the last, being at the dead end of the long corridor, like the eye on the wall.

"This one is Di Angelo, who you are likely to rarely if ever see. His mutation is in shadows, able to transport himself through them, as well as bend them to his liking. That's why his room has lights all around, his walls glow to keep just a limited amount of shadows in the room, not enough for him to use."

Annabeth shivered. That was an eerie mutation. The clipboard near his door showed many medications, needs, requirements...it seemed his emotional stability was not well.

_Nico Di Angelo-10.3_

Again, another young teen. He was merely sixteen.

"He's also the sister of Hazel Levesque. There's a long story about how that works." Jennifer continued to talk.

Gray eyes traveled, landing onto the final and most intimidating door in Sector C.

"Who's that?"

The brunette turned to where the newcomer was pointing and a serious look came over her face. "That, is Percy Jackson. Has a series of strange mutations, his major one being manipulation over water, and occasionally, earthquakes. In one severe experience, he and Jason Grace escaped a together created a violent storm. He's the most determined to escape the M.M.I, but it seems he's friends with some of the other subjects and refuses to leave them behind. We have several ways we handle him...his three caretakers are Matt, Ethan, and Luke."

Annabeth scanned his records.

He was almost a year older than herself.

His door read in blaring letters: _Percy Jackson- 12_


	3. Chapter 3: Garden Grudges

**I don't own anything. As usual.**

**So I just would like to thank everyone who has reviewed! To be honest, I wasn't sure what the reactions would be to this one, cause not only have I admittedly rushed a little through these (to be honest, I'm really excited with where I can take this and am spewing out ideas at the seams), but also, this isn't my best writing ever. I usually write a lot more detail, go in a lot more thoroughly. But the fact is, I'm often told that I go into _too much _detail and tend to drag things out, so I'm trying to tone it down. Hope you guys like! **

**And a lot of you are excited for them to meet, I feel terrible a little wicked to tell you, they don't officially meet face to face for a couple more chapters. Heh *cue sweat drop***

**Thanks!**

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Garden Grudges  Day_ One ~ 12:12 PM_

It was Jennifer's lunch break, and being that Annabeth was playing as her shadow, she too sat in the employee' lounge, a room much more lively than any other that occupied the building.

Her mind, however, was elsewhere. Gray eyes were spacing, mind far away from the loudly chewing brunette that sat across from her, slurping coffee and smacking her food.

Hers remained untouched, subconsciously shifting as she poked the contents with her fork.

After all the events that had happened on her first day, it sent her mind reeling. She needed to think somewhere without distraction. Somewhere to clear her mind.

"Can I go to the gardens?"

Jennifer paused in her eating to look at her incredulously. "Why?"

Annabeth shrugged. "I just want to look around some. And I'm not hungry."

"Oh...well sure. Just don't bother any of the other doctors that are out there with their patients. Its out the door, down the left hall, and to the right."

She nodded her thanks to the brunette and stood, pushing her chair back as she exited the lounge, internally repeating the directions until she found the doors to the gardens.

After seeing that most of the M.M.I in dull colors, and lack of anything comforting, she was pleasantly surprised as the sunlight hit her eyes and the smell of flowers and dark soil hit her nose. Almost desperately, she trotted over to an empty bench and sat, clutching the wood and breathing in the fresh air.

For the first time since the entire ordeal had begun, she felt she could finally breathe. The grass, trees, and flowers were so _alive_. The outside was so colorful and bright, everything that the M.M.I wasn't. Was being a doctor supposed to be like this? Like a panicked agony swelling in her chest?

Regaining her self preservation, Annabeth blew out a puff of air and decided that she needed to relax. Slipping out of her white lab coat, she laid it next to her on the bench, then proceeded to tie her blonde curls in a loose pony.

Her shoulders dropped an inch, as owl-gray eyes began to study her surroundings. Nurses were gently guiding several patients around, some in wheelchairs, others held their hands and laughed as they talked. _That _was what she had wanted. To be that care-taker that helped with those children and adults that needed help, someone she could give all the care and attention to when they needed it.

_Give someone what I didn't have from my own ignorant dad and my stupid step-mom._

Shaking free of her thoughts, she continued to observe and think. She hadn't planned to be pulled into such a scientific marvel, one that left her jaw-dropped and scared for her life. But what of the patients with the mutations? She had seen how they're treated. She remembered the slight fear in Katie's nature colored eyes, the absolute and raw fear that had flashed in Hazel's golden iris'. It tugged on her conscience and settled on her doubt.

It was then that she felt someone sit next to her on the bench, and she nearly jumped when a familiar red-head was right there, grinning warmly.

"Hey! Annabeth, remember me?"

Rachel Elizabeth Dare, still adorned in colorful patches, was still as peppy as ever. It seemed out of all the patients that suffered from the mutation, she was the most content.

However, after having met this strange new figure who seemed to know things of her past and future, the friendly demeanor still set Annabeth at the edge of her seat.

She forced a stiff smile, still weighed down by the earlier events. "Hey Rachel. What are you doing outside your dorm?"

"Oh, my caretaker is over there," she pointed to where a forty-some year old looking woman was talking to another doctor a short distance across the garden ground. "She knows I'm not much of a danger. Plus, she's one of the nice ones that work here. My friends in sector C aren't so lucky."

This caught the attention of Annabeth, and she wanted so badly to bombard the redhead with questions. But the level-6 patient quickly overcame her somber subject and turned back to her with a tilt of her head.

"So Annie, have you found the color of the sea yet?" her eyes sparkled mischeviously, almost tauntingly like: _I know something you don't._

And after that little display earlier, Annabeth was sure that she did.

However, she had almost forgotten Rachel's bidding of the ocean, and thinking back, no she hadn't. "No, I don't think so Rachel."

She didn't seem to be disappointed. "Well you should anytime now. Actually, we should clear out. The special session will be happening."

Annabeth frowned. "Special session? What's that?"

Rachel turned to blonde with a solemn look. "Well, Nico developed schizophrenia after everything he's been through. First he lost his sister, and then a friend recently died, Frank Zhang, who was close to several patients here. And after being trapped here at the M.M.I, he's slowly becoming more paranoid. They have him meet with some of the other patients he's friends with, since they are the only thing grounding him to sanity. I feel bad for the poor kid. Every few days or so, he is brought out here to meet either Hazel, his other sister, or Percy. They're really close. But the meetings are heavily guarded, since they are two of the higher graded mutations."

There was a pause of silence as Annabeth registered these words. It sounded horrific.

"Aren't they giving him any sort of treatment?" she asked, feeling pity for the mere sixteen year old boy. If she recalled correctly, Nico was the one that could bend shadows. The thought still freaked her out.

Rachel frowned, "sorry Annabeth. I can't say too much. Also, my doctor Sarah is about to call for me to return to my dorm."

"Rachel!" a woman's voice yelled from across the gardens.

"Gotta go," and she left with a twinkling wink.

Annabeth shook her head. That would take some time to get used to.

She remained sitting on her bench, and slowly noticed that just as the fore-seer had said, everyone had begun making their way back inside, the grounds cleared out till it was only her and the chirping of birds.

Something told her she too, she go inside. But she was curious at Rachel's words. The redhead had said she couldn't say too much. What secrets were there? Were the M.M.I up to something illegal?

Pondering the circumstance, her curiosity won out and she remained on the bench outside, making sure that she was a far enough distance away from the doors to not be so easily detected. If a doctor questioned her, she would just play her _new-girl_ card, as well as play it off as _dumb-blonde _with a sweet smile.

Satisfied with her strategy, she watched the doors and waited until they opened.

And when they did, she jolted.

Pushed out into the garden grounds, was a baggy clothed teen, with black hair, pale skin, and startling dark obsidian eyes. His entire wardrobe was ebony, and right away, she knew this was Nico Di Angelo. The air around him seemed to simply dampen, the grass drooping at his feet.

For a moment, she was sure she saw a flower wither.

Following with an imperious demeanor were three guys, all buff in stature and thick in muscle, and one girl, with shaggy auburn hair and brown eyes. The girl, who she overheard from the raised voices name was Mariah. She seemed to be the only one genuinely concerned, yet still weary of the sixteen year old boy.

Annabeth watched intrigued as Nico scrambled away from the four imposing doctors, watching them with intense and crazed like eyes. He looked lost and afraid. And frighteningly angry.

Leaning forward, she listened.

Mariah was the one making orders; "Luke, you and Ethan get Jackson. Me and Matt will stay here with this one. We'll give them fifteen minutes to see each other and talk before returning them to their cells."

The tall blonde with blue eyes, and the stout brunette with an eye-patch each gave curt nods and walked off.

Annabeth's eyes followed the dark boy as he shuffled away, rubbing his arm and frequently glancing around. His black shirt hung baggily off his body, his frame much too skinny for an average boy his size. The look in his eyes shone pure pain; and in that look the blonde remembered everything Rachel had said about him with his sister, with the friend that died recently, with the constant fidgeting and paranoia. No wonder the boy looked so sad.

Gray eyes wrenched away from Nico as the door whipped open once again, only this time, a different figure walked in, hands behind his back, she noticed with a small gasp, his wrists clasped in chains.

She swallowed heavily. That couldn't be right. That couldn't be _legal_.

The male was roughly pushed forward into the gardens by Luke and Ethan.

Finally, his head lifted, and Annabeth stared at the twenty year old man with a jaw dropped. _This _was the infamous Percy Jackson?

His skin looked to be a natural olive tan, but seemed to be lacking in a glow from being behind thick walls. Muscles were defined, yet he was lean like a swimmer. Black locks draped in a marginally disheveled fashion, coming down just over his eyes with a slight angled swoop. His clothes consisted of a white V neck covered by an unzipped blue hoodie, with dark washed jeans and sneakers.

And it was then that she saw them.

Eyes. Sea green. Angry. Sparkling. Ocean eyes.

_Watch for the color of the sea. _

Rachel's words rang in her head, throbbing against her temples. It couldn't mean...could it?

She clutched the bench hard as she continued to watch the scene play out.

The dangerous Percy Jackson saw Nico standing uncomfortably amidst the garden and immediately, Annabeth detected worry, concern and absolute loyalty to his friend flash in his eyes.

"Just unlock me and let me go to him Luke," his voice growled, smooth and mysterious.

The handsome blonde smirked, and it shown clear there was a sort of rivalry between the two. "Fine Jackson. Go comfort your dark little friend. Mariah's giving you a courteous fifteen minutes; use it with caution."

Ethan stepped forward with a key and with a defined _click_, unlocked the cuffs off.

At once, with a heated glare sent to the four doctors, he ran forward to the dark teen and dropped to his side as the boy began to tremble.

"Hey Nico. Come on man, look at me, alright? Everything's okay." His voice, low and warning before, became instantly warm and soothing. He poured comfort into his words as he clutched the shoulders of his friend.

Finally, Nico spoke, his voice weak as if worn from use. "Perce," he croaked, "I can't stand it here. I can't escape. I want to leave." His words were becoming softer, fainter. Annabeth had to strain to hear them.

The older male shushed him like a child, like a little brother. His words became whispers, so only the ears of his friend could hear them. They remained like that for awhile, whispering quietly to one another undisturbed, and a calming look began to form on the teen's face. His tense behavior slipping at the reassurance and casual talk with his friend. At one point, they both chuckled, and it was a cherished sight.

The display left Annabeth once again fascinated. How could two patients, considered so dangerous and disabled, show so much emotion through a scene of concern and loyalty? Couldn't the doctors see that they weren't just _mutants, _humans with a DNA mutation, and actually just like them, with feelings and a heart?

Commotion to the left, made gray eyes wander to where the doctors stood watching stiffly and warily. Only Mariah seemed to find the moment between them tender, a soft look in her warm brown eyes.

But the three boys, Ethan, Luke and Matt; seemed irritated. After a shared look, Matt huffed and gave a curt nod before approaching the crouched patients.

"Hey, no whispering Jackson!"

The heavy built doctor swung his leg back, about to kick both of them with a lead foot, and Annabeth was tempted to call out a warning.

A gasp left her mouth as in a blink, Percy had grabbed his foot, and stood, knocking the doctor flat onto the ground.

She clamped her hand over her mouth as she watched with wide eyes; Luke and Ethan running forward and grabbing the wrists of the angry patient who barely struggled against his assailants. He was watching Nico, his eyes flashing with different emotions.

Nico stood, clenching his fists as he watched his older friend become cuffed in chains once again. "Percy!"

"It's okay Nico," he spoke back smoothly, completely ignoring the fact that he was being practically dragged away, back towards the building's doorway to the gardens.

The teen watched with wide eyes; and Annabeth was stunned silent at the sight of black shades flickering around his body, like inky flames, shadows danced around him.

Percy seemed to notice this too, because before he was further pushed away from sight, he calmly met the eyes of his friend and nodded a reassurance, "It's going to be okay Nico. I'll fix this."

And with those final words, the two male doctors shoved him inside.

The final words of his friend seemed to somewhat calm Nico, as his mutation settled away, now showing once again the unsettled lost teenage boy.

Mariah approached him carefully. "Nico sweetie? We need to head back to your room."

Nico watched her with tired eyes, and didn't even react as she gingerly grabbed his hand and lead him out of the gardens.

As the door shut, finalizing the 'special session' that had just occurred, Annabeth shakily stood.

This wasn't right. The M.M.I were doing something. There was too much evidence convincing her that whatever the treatments the doctors were using for the mutations weren't exactly cures.

Fumbling with her lab coat, she slipped her arms through the sleeves and stumbled her way to the door, reentering the building with a numb chill settling in her bones.

She was found by Jennifer soon after.

"There you are Chase! Come on, you have a meeting with your final patient, Thalia Grace."


	4. Chapter 4: An Electric Truce

**I know, your probably all just wanting to kill me with how long it's taking for Percy and Annabeth to meet, but I promise, it happens next chapter...sort of. They don't talk until Chapter 6. Heh...sorry. **

**Anyways, this chapter is shorter than the others, but relevant. So...here ya are!**

**I don't own characters.**

* * *

An Electric Truce Day_ One ~ 1:23 PM_

On their way to Annabeth's third patient's dorm, Jennifer made a quick stop in sector B, to a rank three mutation victim.

Annabeth had tried hard not to jump when she had seen the single large eye planted on Tyson's forehead, and she tried even harder not to shudder with fright when he enveloped her in a large, overwhelming and childish hug, a crazy grin stretching his face.

As soon as she felt his muscles start to loosen, she pulled away from his grip and scampered to the hallway.

Seeing her reaction, Tyson tilted his head with a worried frown over his eye. "Is new doctor lady okay?"

Jennifer, who was checking his pulse, blood pressure, and other basics, smirked as she undid the Velcro that had been around his arm. "Yeah, she's fine."

Tyson seemed genuinely happy to hear she was okay, as the somber look on his face was immediately broken with another wide grin.

After they finished with the childlike fourteen year old, with him enthusiastically talking about peanut butter as if it was a treasure, they both said their good byes.

Before Jennifer could lock the door, Tyson suddenly sprang from his chair and tinkering and looked concern. "Wait! Doctor lady, where brother?"

Annabeth, confused by this statement, didn't respond. Instead she looked at Jennifer who responded mechanically, "he's fine Tyson. Why don't you make him a card and I can give it to him tomorrow?"

This idea seemed to please the giant tween, as he nodded with a toothy grin and pulled out a piece of paper and markers, folding it in half and beginning to color.

As they walked out of sector B, and began headed for C, Annabeth looked at Jennifer, puzzled. "Who's his brother?"

The older brunette glanced at her before answering stiffly. "Jackson. They had the same father, so their half-brothers."

Surprised by the answer, her mind began to whirl. "Does that mean that their father had the mutation too?"

"No. None of their parents have the mutation. Its a long story. Something happened to each of their parents, something went wrong at a council and twelve people were exposed to some chemical radiation that messed up something in their reproduction glands. Therefore, it gave their children a mutation in their development, but the shift in DNA is inexplicably erratic, causing the mutation to be these weird enhanced abilities unlike anything ever before."

Annabeth took this information in. "Do you know who the twelve were?"

Jennifer shrugged, "I'll show you another time. Right now, you've got bigger problems to deal with."

It was only then when she realized they had stopped outside of Thalia Grace's dorm room, and a her nerves were sent tumbling.

After seeing that scene in the garden earlier, as well as Hazel's panic attack, Katie's obvious fear, and Rachel's hesitance; Annabeth wanted answers. Answers that she was sure the doctors would be reluctant to give. The only ones who knew more than the doctors about what goes on behind the walls of the M.M.I were the patients themselves.

Maybe, she thought, if she could show that she cared, that she was curious and wanted to help, then some of her tougher patients, like Thalia, will cooperate with her.

She had a plan. A plan that might get her killed if this girl's temper is as bad people says it is.

"Er...if you don't mind Jennifer. I want to try going in myself. You know...get used to the feel of things."

The older woman looked surprise, before she clicked her jaw shut and debated the idea. "Okay. Just remember what I told you. If something goes wrong, press the emergency button on the inside of the lab coat's collar. I'll stay out here. Good luck."

With those words, Annabeth nodded, taking the time to unlock the complicated bolt before pushing the heavy set door open. Stepping in, the door groaned as it re-shut, leaving her in the dull dorm.

She...didn't see anyone. The small room seemed empty.

"Hello? Miss Grace?"

...

Suddenly, she was slammed into the wall, her clipboard falling to the ground with a clatter, and wide eyes were met with blazing electric blue ones. Her hair was spiky and black, and her style screamed punk.

"A new one huh? You have some nerve coming in here alone on your first day," she growled, her strong arms still holding the small blonde firmly in place.

Annabeth, heart pulsing, swallowed in attempt to slick her dry throat. This girl was tough, she needed to let her know that her intentions were unlike the other doctors. Steeling her expression to careless, she met the icy eyes of her patient and casually spoke, "I'm Annabeth Chase. I'm your new doctor, and I would like to discuss some things with you."

Thalia sneered, pressing the blonde harder against the cold wall, and Annabeth was starting to feel small prickles of electricity crackle into her skin. "Oh yeah? More tests huh? No way are you _touching _me! I've had enough of your stupid little _tests!_"

Remaining placid, Annabeth shook her head. "No, no tests. This is my first day and I saw some things that have made me curious about the M.M.I. What do they do to patients here?"

The blonde watched as suspicion and surprise swam across the pretty raven-haired girls features. Her hard eyes studied her, gaze intense, before she slowly began to pull back from her pressure on the doctor.

"Saw things? What kinds of things?" she said skeptically.

Annabeth breathed a sigh of relief. Good, at least she was giving her a chance. She knew, if she were to get this girl to trust her, she would have to be open and honest about her own cautionary warnings that she had noticed around the hospital.

So she spilled, everything from the strange encounters with Rachel Dare, the episode of absolute panic from Hazel Levesque, the spark of fear and caution in Katie's eyes. She only hesitated when telling her about Rachel's words of '_find the color of the sea'_, feeling it suspiciously too personal to tell for her tastes, but said so anyway; and as soon as she came to the scene in the gardens, Thalia's grip on her fell completely away as she listened intently.

As she finished her story, the tempered woman gave an angry yell and kicked her bed, causing Annabeth to flinch.

"Nico's only going to get worse the longer he stays in here!" Thalia exclaimed, clenching her fist as they buzzed with electric energy. She began to pace and mutter to herself, and only after half a minute did she seem to remember the blonde still pressed against the wall.

For a moment, she regarded her with narrowed eyes.

"Are you really concerned about the welfare of us, or are you just a plant to see if I'll spill? If we give too much information away, we're punished. Severely."

Annabeth frowned at the information, but nodded honestly.

Thalia continued, "They've tricked us before, the only reason I'm even semi-believing you is because of your story. Especially your talk about Rachel. Her talk about the sea? That's obviously about Percy. You should talk to him if you can. He's the one that knows everything about everyone, all the punishments, so called 'treatments'. He's also the only thing holding us all together. Our group..." her voice trailed off as she bit her lip, pain crossing her features.

Feeling it a good time to speak, Annabeth stepped forward, slowly scooping the clipboard from the floor and holding it to her chest. "Look Thalia. I came in here alone to get some answers. I didn't sign up for this. I thought I would be working with people who have mental disabilities and caring for them and their health. Instead I got wrapped up in this sci-fi game of illegal work, stuck shadowing an employee who's cranky and has an annoying voice."

The woman chuckled at her complaint. "You talking about Jennifer? I always thought she was obnoxious."

Both woman laughed for a brief moment before studying one another in silence.

"You know...Annabeth was it? I think you might be what we need to get out of this hell-hole. But like I said, you need to talk to Percy. He can give you answers. But be careful, if he thinks your like the other doctors, you'll make an enemy you'll regret ever meeting."

Annabeth smiled. Her plan had worked, and it just so happens that her and Thalia might be friends. If she was reading the signs right, their was indeed something about the M.M.I she wanted to put a stop to. After talking casually with several of the mutation victims, it was easy to tell they were exactly like everyone else, just with extraordinary abilities.

"Alright Thalia. I'll be back in a few days. I got rehearsals and drills these next two, so someone else will be covering my shifts. And since we're making agreements, do you think you could cooperate with me to make me look good?"

Once again, Thalia laughed. "Sure thing Miss Chase." Then her expression turned cold once more, "but just know you're playing a dangerous game girl. Not only are you in possibility of getting in trouble with this corporation, but if you make one wrong move that seems suspicious to me, or towards my friends; I won't hesitate to break you."

Annabeth remained calm at the threat. She didn't doubt that Thalia would indeed follow through with her words, but she was sure about her decision. She wanted to know what was going on behind these walls, and she was going to find out.

She hated not knowing things.


	5. Chapter 5: Of Meetings and Mourning's

**Sorry for the late update guys. Why you may ask? (psst. Still don't own anything)**

**I finally read the House of Hades!**

**I finished it in less than a day, easy peasey. But seriously, there were some wicked scenes that I completely gushed over, and others I was actually a little irritated with.**

**WARNING! _MINOR_ SPOILERS! SKIP IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO READ! THIS IS A REVIEW OF WHAT I THOUGHT OF EACH CHARACTER.**

_**If you choose to read my review, please leave comments, questions and thoughts in the review, or PM me with your opinion. Please, be civil, and do not bomb me with disagreements or overall what I like to call Fan-Flames. **_

**First of all, I don't know about the rest of you guys, but the character of the year, definitely goes to _Hazel_. She pulled some awesome stunts throughout this tale, took charge in several occasions, overcame _another _part of her past, and just overall kicked ass. I've always liked Hazel, as she is a well rounded character, and even though she's the youngest, she always kept a level head. Anyways, I was genuinely impressed with her in this tale.**

**Next, I wish I could say the same for _Frank Zhang_. He really does deserve credit with how much he's developed and risen to the top, but I just really don't care for his character. I have favorites in the seven, (guilty) and I just don't like him as much. Still, he has his place in each story, and he played a valid part in this story. **

**Now, I'm not usually one to settle in with the majority of population when talking preference, but in this series, like most,_ Percy _is my overall favorite character. In a way, Rick Riordan is still tweaking his character, giving him knew lessons to learn, new revelations to digest. Overall, I liked him a lot in this story, he's still a smartass, even in Tarturus, and I fangirled all over those sections. Sometimes however, I felt like Rick was overriding his 'loyal' character with all these other things going on, and I hope to see a little more of that again. Other than that, I absolutely LOVED the parts where he was using his powers in several ways. For crying out loud, he started manipulating _poison_. And lava, and all these different liquids, as well as the small volcanoes he erupted when fighting and guarding and such. I couldn't get enough of this new change, I absolutely love that he's still growing in power, and in one part, Annabeth became terrified of him. Anyways, I'm rambling. To finish, I still think Percy is the best, but I'd like to see a little bit of his old personality flashing back in once in awhile. I get it that he's going to change with all the traumatizing events, but still. He's the heart of all of this, the beginning. **

**Next, (sorry, I'm not done yet) _Nico_...I have no words. To be honest, I was very surprised when I read that particular chapter with Cupid. It was so...random. So out of place. So NOT tween rated. _I'm_ old enough to understand everything and such, but there are probably 11 year olds reading this. I was shocked that he would put homosexuality in this story, especially in a character we all thought we were familiar with. But not only does this perturb ages in fans, but also religions. Christianity and other stuff does not support this, and it could easily make die hard fans recoil and shoved the stories away. It was a risky move on Rick's part. I'm not going all HATE on anybody, I'm just pointing out the facts. It also sort of killed the brother like relationship I had thought/hoped they had. I'm not intending to offend anyone, I'm just saying that the author chose a touchy political topic to put in his stories was bold. BUT, continuing off of _that _topic, I think it was a little disappointing to see him still struggling. I get it that he's still sort of trying to cope with several things, but I wanted to see him overcome those issues and make a strong stand for himself. Instead, he is still kinda in the pits. I have a feeling, next book his character is going to go through many stages, but I was hoping for more in this. Overall, I still like Nico a lot, but lately haven't liked how Rick's portrayed his character lately.**

**Still going...the next I will speak of is _Piper_. Well, not much to say in this book. Her main scene was with Khione. This was just a little blip to show that her powers are still quite potent enough to wake a machine to life, and also the scenes where you hear she has taken up sword-fighting more. She doesn't show much growth, nor appearance in this story. Honestly, I didn't find myself fitting over it. Piper, like Frank, isn't exactly my favorite character. In _The Lost Hero_, many people felt the same as I did, that she seemed to constantly fawn over Jason like a lovesick puppy. She was much better in this book, and I liked that she actually seemed to care for Leo as a friend more, cause to me, she always seemed to kind of add to his insecurities. Again, she has her place as more of the group's democrat, keeping the peace and calming troubled minds. **

**Leo! I love Leo. Who doesn't? I'll be honest, I didn't like him much at first, he reminded me WAY too much of several boys at school that I can't stand cause they're so annoying. But his character is awesome looking passed that. He has several insecurities, as does each character, but he still seems to remain light hearted. Even Jason comments in a section of this book, that without Leo's humor, the crew seemed rather quiet and down-hearted. I also sympathize with him so much about the whole 3rd-wheel thing. I TOTALLY relate to that. Always. But...one section that most fans loved was his time with Calypso. I really don't know how I feel about that. I'll be honest, I was rooting for Lazel, but even though that fell through, I still feel like it was odd. Not only did her character completely change, but it also sort unsettles her previous part in the last series. I'm happy that he found a girl, I'm ecstatic actually! It was just so...random. Almost so random that it was predictable. I dunno. Maybe I'm just not used to it yet. Meh, I'll get over it. Besides all of this, Leo found confidence after meeting Calypso, and I was actually happy for that. I continue to enjoy this character lots. **

**Annabeth next. I still like her, of course. She hasn't really changed much actually. Her intelligence is still outstanding and kept them alive. Her knowledge sustains and her kindness earns them an ally. Their isn't much development to her character, but in a way, there was no need. I...really don't have anything else to say. I love her, she's awesome, and the interaction between her and Percy is cool. I love how Rick shows the complete chemistry these two have, how _well _they work together. Percy became more intelligent with his tactics of battle, she becomes more brave at his side, telling him what needs to be done, what needs to stop. They both click like a well oiled machine from all those years of fighting by each others side. Yup, still love it.**

**Finally, Jason. Don't know why I'm doing him last. Okay, so a lot of Percy fans hate Jason. I'm not like that. I just don't _like _Jason very much, and it has nothing to do with me liking Percy more. Jason, to me, is confusing, and a character that really seems to change constantly. Yet he never does a thing wrong. Like Hazel said, he's too perfect. Not only that, but there was a foreshadow that he is going to be the final play of the huge battle with Gaea. It all seems rather unfair, to be honest. His only conflict is to decide if he wants to remain Roman or Greek. He is in a position that puts him as leader, yet Hazel, Nico and Frank do most of the work in the tale. He has Piper, who's safe at his side, Leo, who he finally starts treating better (ugh took him long enough), and the conflict with Nico, who now is weary of him knowing his secret. It just really seems like Jason and Piper have the easiest positions to be honest. Anyways, he does sacrifice his position in the legion, so that was probably his biggest play. **

**And that is it! Sorry if that took way too long, but my final rating is a**_ 3.4 out of 5_**. Overall, still worth it to keep up the series. Thanks everyone!**

**Now on with my story...**

* * *

Of Meetings and Mourning's Day_ Four ~7:00 AM_

It was officially her fourth day, her first day having ended with a short display of Katie's mutation in the gardens (which happened to be able to grow any plant from the ground), and a brief visit to Hazel, who had still been knocked cold from whatever chemical Jennifer had injected into her.

The following two days had been filled with classes and watching videos on how to fully take care of her patients and make her rounds. She had only briefly been able to check in with her three assigned patients, since the reruns and courses of 'How To's' were required, and she had to have someone else cover for her.

Now, she was left to her own devises. Her first day on her own, not shadowing, nor learning more rules and regulations.

And she was determined to make the best of it.

She entered the eerie hospital ready and prepped, coffee clutched in hand, her brown bag shouldered, and lab-coat on clipped with a name tag.

Annabeth forged her way through the lobby, before entering the main corridor and slipping into the meal prep area. Cycling what she learned from her previous days in classes at the M.M.I, she glanced up at the clock making sure she was on time.

Seven O' clock sharp. Perfect. Her punctuation was always disciplined.

Breakfast was taken to the rooms of her patients each at 7:35 AM, where she would set them up with their meal before returning at 8:05 AM to take their dishes. She had an entire schedule made out in the sloppy and lopsided handwriting of Dr. D, and due to her own OCD, she rewrote it herself and folded the paper neatly into her pocket after checking it over.

_7:35 – 8:05 – Serve Breakfast to rooms_

_8:30 -10:30 – Therapy and Counseling sessions individually with each patient_

_11:15-11:45- Give acquired Medications and Treatments_

_12:00-1:00- Serve Lunch to rooms_

_**-Lunch break-**_

_1:35- 3:00- Exercise for patients __***each patient has preference to provide**_

_3:15- 4:25- Repeat Medication and Treatments __***use proper amount of dosage, if labeled as such, bring to the Lab Room for patient to receive correct treatments**_

_4:30- 4:45- Bring Treatment results to Dr. D's office_

_5:00-6:00- Serve Supper to rooms_

_**-Meal Break-**_

_6:35-7:00- Check and execute all patient's nighttime requirements_

_7:15- If all is under order and schedule, you may punch out with your time card._

Annabeth made her way into the lounge, deciding that since her shift didn't start for another half hour, she would maybe be able to clear her head before the hectic day began.

As she sat, sipping the warm drink that scorched her insides awake, she began to wonder just how she would manage to come in contact with Percy Jackson. Almost every patient she had come in contact with has either known him, or told her to talk to him for answers.

"_Look for the color of the sea."_

"_Leo! Nico! Percy, help! Percy!"_

"_Perce, I can't stand it here. I can't escape. I want to leave."_

"_Wait! Doctor Lady, where brother?"_

" _Especially your talk about Rachel. Her talk about the sea? That's obviously about Percy. You should talk to him if you can. He's the one that knows everything about everyone, all the punishments, so called 'treatments'. He's also the only thing holding us all together. Our group..."_

"_He can give you answers. But be careful, if he thinks you're like the other doctors, you'll make an enemy you'll regret ever meeting."_

"Hey."

Jolting, Annabeth whipped around so fast, her coffee left a splat on her jeans.

"Whoa there! Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

Looking up at the tall male that stood before her, she met twinkling blue eyes, matched with spiky blonde hair. A scar ran along his left cheek, marring his handsome face with a slight stretch. His stature was thick, and well toned. Overall, he was quite attractive.

However, that's not what made Annabeth's voice catch in her throat. Instead, it was the memory of this exact male, Luke, who was Percy's assigned doctor; he was one of the three that had pulled him away from Nico.

"Wow, you're really zoning today aren't you? Anyways, I'm Luke Castellan, it's nice to meet you..."

Gray eyes fluttered. "Oh! Annabeth Chase. Yeah, sorry." She smiled sheepishly, "I guess I have a lot on my mind right now."

Luke laughed cheerfully, seemingly pleasant. Much less cruel than he did two days previous in the gardens. The sight still made her shiver.

"Not surprising. It's your first solo day right? How are you liking it here at the M.M.I?"

Annabeth smiled politely, nerves on edge. She didn't know what to think of this guy. "It's good. I'm just glad I got hired."

Luke nodded, stuffing a hand in his pocket. He wore simple jeans, an orange T-shirt covered by his lab coat. He seemed to be around twenty-three years old she assumed. A young doctor like herself. "That's good. Who are your patients?"

"Hazel Levesque, Katie Gardner, and Thalia Grace."

Almost immediately, as soon as Thalia's name was said, she saw him stiffen, his smile tightening and shoulders raising. His 'happy' facade seemed to be crumbling. What was that about?

Quickly, he recovered. Arching a brow, he regarded her curiously, "wow, two C's and a B? Those are some big responsibilities. What a bunch of freaks, huh?"

It was Annabeth's turn to bristle. He sounded just like Jennifer, and most other doctors. "...yeah. Sure," she said through gritted teeth.

Pulling herself together, she gathered her things and stood, glancing at the clock that read 7:15.

_Huh, I must have been lost in thought longer than I thought._

"It was nice meeting you Luke, but I should get going and make sure the kitchen has my patients breakfast ready."

Luke gave her a look. "Oh you don't have to worry about that. You just tell the cook's the name of your patient and they give them their required diet that the doctors have for them."

"Diet?" she furrowed her brow.

"Yeah. If they don't get certain foods, their treatments could go wacky."

A beat passed and Annabeth registered this new information. _Just one more thing they are completely controlling over these patients,_ she thought angrily.

But as she thought this, becoming ever the more wary of this 'Luke' character, a sudden idea appeared in her head. If she were to get in any close contact with this Percy Jackson, Luke could be her ticket in.

Falling into character, she gave a glistening smile. "Oh! That makes sense. Say, who are you assigned to again? I've heard you have one of the most dangerous positions here," she flaunted, casually twirling a honey-blonde curl in her finger.

She watched Luke's blue eyes spark, and she inwardly fist pumped.

_Hook, line and sinker. You feed a man's pride and they bite the bait._

"Yeah, its a little tough. I work with Di Angelo sometimes when Mariah has troubles. But my main two are the Grace boy, and _Jackson._" He growled the last name, venom slipping into his words in pure hate.

Playing the oblivious blonde, she tilted her head and blinked cutely with a soft smile, "hm, some rivalry there Castellan?"

Luke's face didn't soften, instead his jaw clenched. "We have some old business."

Annabeth came to a dead end. Where did she go from here? So she got a little information on this blonde character, but it still didn't give her what she needed. Swiftly she calculated her options and shifted her weight to one hip.

"Well since it's my first solo day, if I end early I could help you with rounds for a little more practice if you want. If I can handle Thalia, I'm sure this Jackson character won't be too difficult," she continued to conjure her most innocent look on her face and looked up at him expectantly.

Luke scowled. "I don't think so. Myself, Ethan, and Matt have to handle him...differently than the other patients. It's not an environment you'd enjoy."

_C' mon Annabeth, push a little more_, she assured herself, furrowing her brow and looking curious.

"Oh? Well if you're sure. But I could really use the extra practice. Besides, if I'm going to be staying here, maybe you could show me a few tactics to use with the harder patients? Would'ya say?"

She bounced on her toes and widened her eyes just to add for effect, and watched with hidden glee as his resolve was chipped away.

He gave a mischievous grin, "well I can't refuse a damsel in distress. Sure, you can tag along after hours. But I'll have to check with the guys..."

"Oh thank you Luke!" she beamed brightly and sent him a wink, before turning on her heel and calling over her shoulder. "I gotta go. Don't want to fall behind on my big day."

As soon as she was safely out of the lounge and walking speedily out of the halls, she let out a long breath. Acting like that had taken a lot of energy.

Smugly, she chuckled to herself. _Oh, I _so_ could have been an actor._

With the mornings events pushed momentarily to the back of her mind, she found the kitchen and, just as Luke said, they gave her the trays of food that her patients treatments specifically called for.

Her first stop was Hallway B, Katie Gardner.

As soon as the door was open, the brown haired girl jumped to her feet with wide forest green eyes.

Seeing the food, she smiled. "Oh thank goodness! I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!"

Annabeth chuckled as she set the tray on Katie's small table, finding it ironic that this girl was so...normal and genuine. As she continued to set up the plates and pour water into the plastic cup she glanced at the younger girl curiously.

"Didn't you eat enough last night?"

Katie sat on the single chair that occupied the room and pulled it up to the small round table, grabbing the plastic silverware and waiting patiently. She shrugged in response, "since you were busy with classes these past couple days, they didn't always have staff to cover for every meal."

Annabeth stopped short. No one had covered her shifts while she was in classes? They had said they did!

She watched as the teen vigorously chomped down on her meals, not pausing to breathe in between bites as she went. Only once did she pause in her inhaling of the food, and that was to slurp half of her drink down before continuing with the meal.

It was heart-breaking.

She frowned. "I'm so sorry Katie. They told me they had covered the meals since I was still learning things. If I had known..."

"It's okay Miss Chase. I'm pretty used to it." Katie briefly gave her a smile before popping two grapes into her mouth, followed closely by two more.

Annabeth resisted the urge to scream at that statement.

"You...you can call me Annabeth. I'll be back in a bit to take your tray and then we'll have therapy and counseling, okay Katie?" she kept her voice soft, trying with few words to comfort the girl who seemed simply too sweet and naive. Much too innocent to be in an environment like the M.M.I.

With those final words, and polite nod from the patient, Annabeth exited hallway B with a heavy heart. She returned to the kitchen, gathering the tray for her next patient's meal, and hoping that the others were at least tended to and not forgotten as Katie had been. If so, getting Hazel to trust her after what happened the first day she tried to meet her would become a lot harder.

And Thalia was going to kill her, truce or no truce. She had a feeling that rambunctious woman would not hesitate to kick her if she didn't get a meal on time.

Swallowing those fears, she resumed her course and made her way to Hazel's door in Sector C.

She remembered those scared and tear brimmed golden eyes of the young girl, and she could only hope the young teen wouldn't judge her based on _that _first encounter. Annabeth was determined to become trusted by her patients. She would help them in anyway she could.

Unlocking the bolt, Annabeth was both disappointed and relieved to see that Hazel was still sleeping.

For a moment she considered waking her, but vetoed the idea soon after and began setting up her breakfast on the small table in the room, quiet and quick as possible.

Before she exited the lonely room, she heard Hazel whimpering in her sleep, her body turning and twitching. She wanted so badly to wake her from the nightmare, but felt as though she would be crossing a boundary to the younger girl's comfort zone.

She caught a few of the watery words, familiar names such as 'Leo', and 'Frank', as well as others mumbled incoherently.

Slowly, Annabeth shut the door behind her.

This was killing her. Her chest ached with worry.

The process was similar in Thalia's room, as the moment she stepped into the dorm, the electric induced woman was groaning and shouting at her to just dump the 'trash-food' as she had called it, and get the hell out before she got out of bed and beat someone up.

Annabeth did so obediently.

She casually made her way back to hallway B. It was 8:15, and though her schedule said it didn't start for another fifteen minutes, she was hoping that she could begin the first therapy session with Katie.

It just so happened chaos was happening in that sector, and Rachel Elizabeth Dare herself was the cause of it.

She watched with wide eyes as the usual peppy and bright redhead was pulling against three other female doctors, Jennifer included, who were trying to beckon her back into her room and to be quiet. It seemed they were having troubles.

"No! I have to warn him! You can't do this, it's not fair!" she shouted, emerald eyes glistening with pooled tears. When her watery orbs landed on the shocked Annabeth, she gestured for her frantically.

"Annabeth! You have to stop this! They can't do it! He'll be in pain, so much pain!"

Her screeching could be heard waking other patients, who were yelling and complaining, or waking up to peer out their small windows to watch the commotion.

Scared and confused, Annabeth was shocked still, and could only watch as one of the female doctors manages to prick her with a sedative, knocking the fiery redhead unconscious and silencing her wails. She was then dragged unceremoniously to her room and draped on her bed, still shivering and shaking.

Jennifer turned to the blonde with puffing breathes, worn from her wrestle with the determined fore-seer. "Wow. She hasn't had an episode this bad for awhile."

"She's been like this before?" Annabeth had a hard time keeping the surprise out of her voice. _I can't believe after everything I've seen here, I'm _still _getting surprises, _she thought bitterly, thinking back to Katie not being fed enough. Jennifer didn't answer her question, instead shrugged and turned back to the other two doctors.

Annabeth nodded a 'see you later' to her co-workers before making her way over to her patient's door.

When she opened the door, she found Katie jumping backwards, avoiding being hit by the heavy concrete lock.

"Oh gosh, Katie I'm sorry," Annabeth quickly apologize, having not realized she was standing near the door, but the brown haired girl just waved it off before looking at her with concerned gaze.

"Was that Rachel out there? I...I heard her yelling...is she okay?"

Annabeth quickly nodded, but then hesitated with her words. "Well, I think so. She was screaming at me to protect _him. _Only I don't know what she's talking about."

Katie nodded sadly, heaving a sigh as she collapsed backwards onto her stiff bed and kneaded her eyes with the heels of her palms. "I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. I just...I can't..."

Her voice wavered, and Annabeth grabbed the chair that was propped near the small table and pulled it closer to the bed before taking her seat.

"Hey, Katie. Talk to me, okay?"

For a moment, the younger girl considered, and it was obvious to Annabeth that whoever her previous doctor was, she hadn't ever trusted. But then she shook her head, biting her lip hard.

"No, no I can't! They'll, they'll do what they do to Percy...or worse. Or to Frank..."

It was too late when Annabeth realized she was having an episode. Her severe anxiety was grabbing her with iron claws, pulling her into a state of blubbering tears.

Sobs were wracking her body, and the blonde felt fear and concern well up inside her chest once more. Glancing towards the door, she noticed other doctors pausing to look in through the small caged window.

The image of what Jennifer did to Hazel and Rachel haunted her mind, and she knew she had to get Katie calmed down or the very same thing would occur.

Quickly she began hushing her with soft words, she grabbed her hand and tried soothing the crying girl, but Katie recoiled, backing away with staggering steps.

"Katie! It's okay, calm down...I'll...I'll take you to the gardens. Come on Katie, the gardens. You can see your friends. They're okay!" she began rambling, and to her luck, the brunette began to slow her tears.

"We...you'll take me to the gardens?" she hiccuped, wiping at her eyes and looking at Annabeth with a hopeful expression.

The blonde frantically nodded, and gently began guiding Katie to the doors. "Yes, now come on. You need some fresh air."

Slowly, she lead the stumbling patient towards the outside door. She ignored the scornful looks from other doctors that were assigned to that hallway, and smiled politely at the kind nurses that looked on with sympathy.

When they finally reached the doors, Annabeth kicked them open with a force, rushing her now hyperventilating patient into the fresh outside air.

Katie breathed in deeply, tripping her way over to a nearby bench, tears drying on her clammy face as she took in the sights and smells of nature; a privilege that had been taken from her for far too long. She was only ever outside for small amounts of the day, half hour or hour at most; but it was never enough to quench her need for the outdoors.

Annabeth sighed in relief as she watched the panic slowly slip from her patient's tree green eyes, the shaking in her fingers slowly descend to a halt, until both remained in a silence.

"Thank you." It was Katie who finally shattered the thick air, her words whispered into the light breeze.

The blonde, feeling 'you're welcome' was unnecessary, simply nodded. Sitting beside the younger girl with patience and a faltering thump of her chest. The experience had been a little bit of a scare for her.

The quiet of the garden was broken by a third voice, this one male and buoyant.

"Katie-kat!"

Katie's drooped head snapped up with recognition flashing across her features. Annabeth watched as she hastily stood and trotted forward, soon met with a crashing force of a boy, who looked to be the same age, as they embraced in a tight hug in the center of the fields.

"Travis!"

Annabeth watched, her heart warming as she saw a mischievous looking figure with an upturned nose, mousy brown hair and twinkling eyes snatch Katie in his arms and spin her around like a feather.

Were they together?

Her answer came as soon as they both suddenly stiffened and pulled apart, each blushing and sheepishly scratching their arms or looking around, the sight bringing a knowing smile to Annabeth's face.

They weren't a couple, but they might as well _should _be.

The boy she had heard called 'Travis' cleared his throat. "Katie...you're okay? Gosh, I haven't seen you in months. I was so worried." His voice softened as he reached out and gently ran a large hand down her arm fondly.

Katie smiled back, tears pricking her eyes. "Yeah Travis. I'm fine. What about you? Where's Connor?"

Travis swallowed harshly. "They...they took him. I don't know where he is. He's been gone for three days after being taken for some tests...they haven't brought him back. Katie-Kat, what if...what if..."

She shushed him quietly, bringing her hand up and brushing his cheek with her thumb. "It's going to be alright. Percy and the others are going to find a way soon. He's never let us down yet, okay?"

The boy nodded, covering his hand with her own as his eyes filled with emotion. "I...I missed you Katie. Have you seen or talked to any of the others? How is everyone?"

Katie smiled softly, an escapee tear streaming down her face. "I missed you too Travis. And no, I haven't spoken to anyone except Grover. I saw him last week, and I heard Rachel outside my door. She had another nightmare today..."

Annabeth propped herself on the edge of her seat to lean in and listen further. It was funny, she mused, how much ease-dropping she had done in that week. Between all the sneaking, plotting, and acting, she felt like James Bond.

Still though, it wasn't enough. Their voices were too low for her to hear, and she decided to give them their privacy anyway. Whatever it was between them, she felt it was a good thing they were together. Adoration seemed to pour out one another's eyes as they spoke. Couldn't they see it?

But all too soon, they were interrupted by a yell.

"Hey! No physical intercourse allowed between patients!"

Jolted out of their lulled conversation, the two jumped apart as Dr. Matt Sloan stalked over to where they stood and roughly gripped Travis's wrist and whipped him onto his back on the ground.

Katie let out a yelp, hands clamping over her mouth.

Annabeth jumped to her feet at the sight of the concurring fight. "Wait!" she shouted, running over to her co-worker and pushing him away without a thought.

It was only after he turned to her with blazing eyes and fist ready to swing that she realized her mistake.

"What do you think you're _doing _girl? This isn't your place," he snarled in her face, teeth bared like a wild dog. It almost made her flinch. Almost.

"Actually, this is," she steeled herself, inwardly patting her own back at how brave she sounded. "Katie is _my _patient, and I was watching them myself. I wouldn't have let it go far but you stepped in with pointless aggression."

Matt growled threateningly. "Then watch with a better eye. I don't have time to babysit. I've got an _appointment_ with Jackson if the results are going to be in by tonight."

And with a final wicked grin, he left.

Annabeth watched him go for a moment before rushing over to help Travis to his feet.

"Oof! That guy packs a punch," the slightly lanky boy chuckled humorously as he scratched his neck.

Katie, far more frantic, spun him around to give him a once over for injuries; an action that the boy simply couldn't pass up on being a smart-alek.

"Checking me out Katie-kat?" he grinned.

Katie flushed, hitting him on the shoulder as color rose to her cheeks, "No! I was checking if you were hurt you dolt!" Crossing her arms, she turned to Annabeth with gratefulness in her eyes. "Thank you again Miss Chase...Annabeth."

Annabeth smiled. "Glad to help. But I'm afraid after that little escapade, we've got to go. I'm running behind schedule with my other patients. Travis, I suggest you get back to your assigned doctor before you get in more trouble."

These words were followed by a long and mournful (also obvious restrained) goodbye between the two 'friends' before returning back to hallway B, and feeling self-hate for having to re-lock Katie back in her empty dorm.

…...

_Day Four ~ 7:12 PM_

The rest of Annabeth's day went by as scheduled, the hardest times being counseling with Hazel, who was quiet, the young frightened girl being stubbornly mute to speak. Also, it was Thalia's over exerting workout that had worn her out.

The check ups were also a handful, each patient reluctant to let her draw blood for lab results to let doctors know if their medication was executing properly into their bloodstream.

Now, however, as the day came to an end, Annabeth began to remember her encounter with Luke that morning. She had promised to help him work with his patients, and that included Percy Jackson.

Her spine shivered in remembrance to his bright yet dangerous green eyes. Something about that boy made her curious.

A dangerous kind of curious, she berated herself.

If she were to get the information she wanted, she needed to talk to this Jackson character alone.

She remembered what Thalia had told her just an hour ago.

"_If you can get alone with him, tell him that Thalia gives you the okay. Alright? Actually, tell him 'Kelp head , she's clear'."_

Naturally she had choked a laugh at this and responded as such. _"Kelp head, she's clear? What's that going to do?"_

The punk woman had just waved her hand. _"Trust me, he'll know."_

Now, as she entered sector C with time to spare, having told Luke she'd meet him at seven-fifteen, she stood just outside the eerie door of Percy Jackson's dorm. The lights in each corridor were beginning to dim as the end of the day neared, leaving her alone, drowning in the bleakness of the walls.

"Ah Annabeth! Glad you could make it."

The blonde turned at the sound of Luke's voice, and several footsteps. When she was about to give a sweet smile and return the greeting, she instead yelped.

With wide, horror-struck gray eyes, she stared as the tall blonde came to her side, followed by his two minions who were dragging a near unconscious bloody and bruised Percy Jackson.


	6. Chapter 6: Careful Talk

**I know, I know. It was cruel of me to prolong my update, but I am falling behind schedule, and have yet to begin typing out the next chapter. Because of this interruption called 'life', it will be a little longer till the next chapter, hope you can hold on guys. And thank you everyone who has reviewed, followed, etc. for contributing to my confidence ;) **

**I don't own anything. **

* * *

Careful Talk _Day Four~ 7:15 PM_

"What happened? Luke, what's going on?" Annabeth's voice came out shrill and weak, but in that moment, she didn't even care. This patient was dying.

The blonde, however, was not deterred in his confident stature. Unlocking a series of chains and bolts to open the door to the dorm, "relax Annabeth. This is merely the first step to his testing. We need the lab results in by tonight."

Mortified, a squeak left her lips. "_You _did this?"

"Calm down Chase. Just watch. You're here for after the session is over. Then you can worry about this freak all you want."

With these harsh words, the large door finally swung open, revealing four blank walls and a room like all the others, except no bed, only a board descending a foot off the ground like a plank.

Annabeth's hands began to shake, whether from contained rage or just from the sight of all that blood, she didn't know. Silently, she followed the three doctors into the room, and it wasn't until she stood fully in the dorm that she noticed the strange contraption in the corner of the room.

For a brief moment, it looked like a large fish tank. It was at least six and a half feet long, two feet wide, and one and half feet tall. The glass tank was filled with water, strangely enough. Trying hard to keep the quiver from her voice, she pointed to the strange object, "What...what's that? What are you doing?"

Ethan and Matt dragged the limp figure of Percy toward the tank, tearing his already scrapped shirt off, flipping him over carelessly onto his back and lifting him by his limbs over the edge of the tub and lowering him into the water until he was fully submerged.

The raven-haired male lay lifelessly in the water, his body somehow sinking to the bottom of the glass cage, defying the physics of buoyancy.

Annabeth shrieked, "you're _drowning _him? How is this a _study _or a _test_?"

She stepped forward to free the helpless patient, but strong arms held her back. Furious she whipped around, but was met with cold blue eyes. Luke gave her a stern look, like a scolding parent, he shook his head.

"Just watch Annabeth. Ethan, start the timer. Sloan, get ready to check his vitals after the process is done. Dr. D wants to know how fast he rejuvenates. We need a before and after analysis on his pulse, blood pressure, and all the normal stuff. Take a sample of his blood and see if his vessels are effected by the procedure of water exposure, whether their density decreases and etc."

Still pulling against his arms with minimal movement, gray eyes turned back to the body in the tank, as the two doctors hooked up wires and tubes into the water, scribbling numbers down as they went.

Her eyes however, remained on Percy Jackson, his handsome face rolling to the side of his limp body.

But she started to notice something that made her heart stop.

The water began to circulate, brushing against his hard bare chest where the flesh was ripped and bleeding profusely. Instead of the blue liquid churning into a red oily color, it began to drift over the body of the broken victim, mending the open wounds. Slowly, the red dried patches, scrapes and whips were dissipated away by invisible fingers.

Eyelids peeled open, head straightening on his neck and the bright orbs of green broke through.

Annabeth felt herself breathe again. He was alive. Miraculously. And breathing underwater?

The sight was stunning, her brain whizzing for explanation and answers. How could the water heal him? Was it based on a more complex science? Did his white blood cells simply increase the process, or did it provide more? It was a huge step in the world of science.

Quickly she shook those thoughts away. This was a _person_. They had almost _killed _him in the name of science.

She looked at him, admiring the man that shifted uncomfortably in the tank of water, his eyes heavy lidded, he was still in obvious pain.

"Alright boys, take him out and put him on the ground. We got the numbers and results, lets get em' to the boss," Luke ordered, his partners lumbered to wrap the job up and gather their material. He then turned to the stunned gray eyed beauty with a charming smile.

A smile she didn't buy for a second.

But she didn't let him know that, instead, she smiled softly back, on the inside she would much rather send a fist to his pretty face.

"Annabeth, here's where you come in. Since you wanted something more to do, and you've seen what a fantastic study this is, I figured you wouldn't mind checking his vitals, organs, and bones for any fractures that might kill him off before we have a chance to do more. We're going to be heading home. See you tomorrow?"

She nodded blankly, and before she knew it, she was alone. A key was pressed in her palm, her bag on her shoulder, a man laying at her feet, clad in low riding jeans. The two 'thugs' as she liked to call them, Ethan and Matt, had taken the tank of water out of the room.

A groan broke her trance, and quickly she knelt down to the injured man, eyes wide when she noticed he was completely dry.

Mechanically, she moved her hands to his shaggy black hair and swiped it back from his forehead and closed eyes as he began to shift. _His hairs really silky._ "Hey, hey Percy. Just relax. You might still be injured okay? Can you tell me where it hurts?"

At the sound of her voice, his head rolled towards her as his chest slowly rose and fell. When sea-green eyes met hers, Annabeth had to swallow a gasp. His iris flowed with concealed emotions, like a hurricane that churned with confusion, anger, determination...

"Who...are you?" he croaked, his body suddenly tensing at the sight of an unfamiliar face. Annabeth, still distracted from the alluring figure in front of her, once again had to pull herself out of a drowning reverie.

"I'm Annabeth Chase. A new doctor here, and I want to help." Her voice came out soft but true. She let the honesty drip into her words, hoping he would believe her.

Her hopes faltered when he let out a rough scoff, followed by a harsh cough to which he winced in pain. "Yeah right. If you're as close to Luke and company as it looks, I have reason to believe you're lying."

Annabeth scowled at his accusation, but found his words to be justified. He only saw her acting along with the other doctors, and the fact that she was just standing there after his heavy beating, it didn't give her a very good edge to grab.

Slowly, she began to feel his stomach with her lean nimble fingers for any signs of injury. She tried to remain focused, and not blush as she ran her fingers gingerly over his chest to check his heart, and over his ribs.

A hiss escaped his lips as she gently pressed a particular jagged section of his abs...er...ribs. Right. Focus.

Her wrist was snatched with a quick reflex, startling her for a moment as a large hand stopped her moving hands.

"That hurts," he whispered softly, and as she glanced up, she once again was caught in his gaze.

"I'm sorry," she said back quietly.

For a moment, she remained looking at him, studying his physical being with all that she had heard about this boy in front of her. Dangerous. Loyal. Impulsive.

The pain that glazed in his eyes showed her that he may be powerful, but he wasn't invincible.

Hesitantly, she leaned forward and stuck a finger under his chin to examine the black eye that had once been, now gone from the water's healing touch. His eyes never left hers.

"What...what did they do to you?" she asked quietly.

So far, he seemed to have two broken ribs, one bent, and a slower pulse than normal. Still, it was several times better than what he had been before being placed in the water. Having been lashed, punched, bruised and broken. Most of his skin had been beaten raw or stained red.

Was this what Rachel had foreseen?

She had been shouting at Annabeth to protect 'him'. Him being Percy Jackson?

Her musings broke as he chuckled darkly. "It isn't obvious? They wanted a pinata party, and I just happened to match the theme."

Annabeth looked on with surprise as he gave a crooked white smile, one side of his lips lifting farther than the other.

_Ugh, now_ that's_ distracting. _

She offered him a sympathetic one of her own, before pulling up her stethoscope to her ears and placing the end on his chest.

She couldn't stop the giggle that escaped as he jolted from the icy touch. "Sorry, I know its cold. This will only take a second."

To her relief, he smiled back, eyes sparkling with what she assumed to be something near gratitude. Had he ever had a doctor show kindness to him? The thought weighed her down with sadness.

A few moments passed as she continued her check over in silence.

When she was all done, she reeled back to sit on her heels and tuck her items away in her bag. She turned back to him and froze to see his entrancing eyes watching her attentively.

Cheeks coloring lightly, she looked down at her hands in her lap, "how do you feel?"

Percy moved his eyes to the ceiling, frowning as he blew out air. "A little like hell."

Annabeth nodded. _Understandably so_, she thought.

She thought about how she would say what she wanted so badly to ask, but was worried with how he would respond. Braving herself, she spoke.

"Percy, I was in here today because I've been told by several people that I should talk to you if I wanted answers," she began, praying he wouldn't react violently.

This caught his attention. His body began to shift, achingly slow (no pun intended) he moved to a half upright position on his elbows, wincing and clenching his teeth through the pain as he looked at her fully.

Green eyes scanned her skeptically as he arched a brow, "answers?" His voice was blunt, and Annabeth noted that he was as changing as the ocean, one minute smiling and joking charmingly through the pain, the next alert and stiff, tense and..._dangerous. _

She would need to be careful with her words; like approaching a wild animal.

"I came to the M.M.I three days ago, this is my first solo day. But as soon as I was here, some...strange things occurred." She glanced up at his expression. It remained stone, beckoning her to quickly continued.

"I met Rachel. I think you know her, or everybody it seems. Anyways, she told me something...if you know what I mean..." Her voice trailed off, as she watched his face to regard his reaction. She was reluctant to tell him about what the redhead had really said, knowing now that it referred to her finding him _specifically, _in fear of embarrassment.

"I understand what you mean," he consented. For a moment, he glanced away before piercing her once more with his stare; like a needle pinning her under a microscope. "Go on..."

She nodded, awkwardly clearing her throat. Annabeth felt on edge, completely and indefinitely hovering _over _the edge, tipping. "Well, then I was assigned Katie, Hazel, and Thalia as patients. I met Katie and Hazel right away, but..."

The blonde blinked in surprise as she watched the injured man tense and fight the pain to sit farther up. A sudden wave of panic flashed in his swirling eyes. "Did something happen? I swear if they got hurt...ow!"

Annabeth jumped into action, as she gently pushed him back down on his back to level him out. "Stop trying to move! You're going to make your ribs worse!" she scolded, and reached for her bag.

Then things went wrong.

As soon as she had pulled the needle intended for pain relief out of her bag, she was too slow to stop the flash of movement at the corner of her eyes. In a second, she only had time to gasp as the shot was knocked brutally from her hands and her body lifted into the air before her back roughly hit the wall.

Percy pinned her, feet four inches from the ground, his bright teeth sneered inches from her face. "No. I will _not _be stuck with _any _more of your needles and tests! Any object you stick into my skin, I'll return the favor tenfold."

His voice had dropped an octave lower, threatening and disarming. He held his fierce facade well, but she could tell from his shaking limbs and beaded forehead he was in an overwhelming amount of pain.

In that moment, Annabeth's mind whirled with several thoughts. Her first being that she wanted to push _herself _into a wall. Of course the sight of a shot would be bad! How could she be so stupid?

Secondly, she was tightly pressed between a cold stone wall, and Percy Jackson, her face inches from his, his body pushed flush up against her. She was sure she looked like a turnip top. His close presence made it hard to breathe.

Third, she needed to reassure him that she was only meaning to help, and that if he didn't lay down soon, he could pass out, or puncture a vital organ with his misplaced ribs.

Despite herself, she puffed out a breathless chuckle. This was the second time she had been shoved into a wall, and she was starting to have a hunch that Percy and Thalia might be related. How stupidly ironic.

This only proved to further complicate the situation, as he pressed her harder, her own ribs straining.

Fear prickled at her skin, but she refused to acknowledge it. Thalia had told her to tell him something...like a code or inside joke...what was it?

Finally it clicked, as she forced out her words from lack of breath, "Thalia...she said to tell you...K-kelp head...she's clear."

Gray eyes watched as the patient's own green ones widened, and almost immediately he released some of the pressure against her. She inhaled a large amount of needed air as her feet slid to the ground. Lungs hungry from limited oxygen, she took several moments, chest heaving to recollect herself, all the while watching recognition and understanding sprinkle across his features.

She was disappointed to notice a still lingering doubt.

Instead of completely relenting to her wishes, Percy remained where he was, hands planted on either side of her shoulders and looking at her with a new light.

He leaned heavily on the wall she noticed, and his stubborn will to stay standing was only going to further hurt him if she didn't get him to cooperate soon.

"Explain," he demanded, and she resisted the need to shiver. While she was becoming irritated with his dominance over her even when injured, her position with her looking up at him, as he was four inches taller, was very compromising; and slightly suggestive, she might add.

She began anyway, "Katie looked weary, I noticed right away. I also noticed how Jennifer had given her threats. Then we went to Hazel's room, and as soon as she saw two doctors, she panicked and went into relapse, in which she was soon pricked and knocked out cold."

Annabeth paused at the feel and sight of Percy tensing.

"After that, I was out in the gardens hiding when you and Nico had that session, with Luke and the other idiots. I couldn't believe they hand-cuffed you, and the sight of your friend...he didn't look well. Rachel had also visited me before hand, telling me about the events that had effected him, but she had said something about being punished for saying too much and left quickly. From there, I met Thalia, who ironically enough, had me in this same position the moment I entered her room."

For the first time since the conversation had begun, Percy chuckled. It lifted Annabeth's hopes greatly.

"Well we are cousins. I guess it runs in the family."

_So they _are _related. ._

Sighing, feeling rather exasperated, she continued her babbling. "So Thalia and me came to a truce..." she went on and retold the days events, all from learning that her patients were not properly fed, to when she finally first saw him bloody and dying.

As her story faded into a silence, she noticed that he was finally looking at her with a different expression. It wasn't trust, but he didn't look to feel threatened anymore.

He looked as though he was registering all her words, his brows contorted into a concerned scowl, his face was now turned away, looking at the other wall. She took this opportunity to conclude her tale.

"So, as I was saying before...I want answers. What's going on at the M.M.I? What tests are they running on you guys? ...and...how can I help?"

Her pride swelled inside of her, along with a compassion that burst, no doubt flooding her gray eyes. With reckless courage, she lifted her arm slowly, and gripped his jaw guiding his eyes back to hers.

She felt transparent, and for a moment, was tempted to glance away, drop her eyes from his. Those green pools felt as heavy as holding up the sky. Pulling her with determination, she pronounced every word with urgency.

"I. Want. To. Help."

…

It was then finally, with these words, Percy Jackson relented, withdrawing from his self made trap and tripping away to clutch his stomach with a groan.

Annabeth relaxed, heart hammering in her chest from the suspense. Gently she stepped toward him, taking his hand and pulled him to lay down on his make-shift bed.

To her surprise and relief, he did so without complaint, and didn't say a word until he was laying flat on his back, letting her hands wander to his ribs to check for any further damage he might have caused.

The blonde remained silent, watching her own hands work as she went. He would occasionally stiffen as she began to set and wrap his mid-torso, but never let a sound escape his lips.

As she finished the job, she turned away and began to pack her bags with her supplies.

"Thanks," his soft voice entered the silence like a wisp, hesitant yet sounding worn.

She turned back to him, crouched at his bedside as she smiled softly. "You're welcome."

For several moments, he continued to watch her, and she could tell he was pondering the idea on what to say next, gears churning beneath his black locks.

"...What was your name again?"

"Annabeth Chase."

Percy licked his lips. "Annabeth," he repeated, as if tasting the word on his lips

Annabeth's smile grew. The way her name slipped off his tongue was soft, alluring in a way. His voice was somehow able to twist the syllables into a pleasant octave.

Green eyes peered up at her with a new sparkle. "Did you mean what you said?"

Without hesitation, she nodded. "Every word."

Percy closed his eyes, sighing heavily from obvious fatigue. She watched his lids peel open once again, bright orbs landing on her as he gnawed his lower lip. "You could get hurt you know."

"Says the one that's laying on a board after getting the snot beaten out of him," she pointed out with a sly smile.

He let out a short laugh. "Nah, I can take it. I'm used to it."

Those words made her heart drop. It sounded so similar to what Katie had said. On instinct, she reached out and grabbed one of his hands in both of hers.

"I don't get it," she started. "Jennifer says you have all this power over water and earthquakes, yet you're still sitting in this room like a dead duck. Why don't you just escape?" Annabeth tilted her head, looking at him expectantly. It had been one of the many answers she had been seeking since she first learned of his mutation.

Percy gently let his arm relax, as his gaze drifted up to the ceiling in thought. "If I got angry enough, I could cause an earthquake to topple this building over. Nico too, and Jason could maybe blow it off the ground. But that's just it, we can't. So many other patients are here, with nurses taking care of them as needed. We'd kill people who don't deserve to die. I don't want to kill people to escape, I just want to get my friends safe and out of this hellhole. No one deserves this."

Annabeth stared at him in something close to awe. His selflessness in that explanation nearly knocked her off her heels. His voice was nearly lyrical, poetic it suddenly seemed.

To finalize his statement, he brought pools of condescending green back upon her figure. It paralyzed her to the core, shaking her insides as his mutation implied: like an earthquake.

"I'll tell you everything you want to know...anything. Because they're counting on me Annabeth. My friends. And I _can't_ let them down."

It was with these words that her heart was sold, so strongly was she feeling in this goal, that cloud-9 didn't do justice. She now wanted this with a passion, she wanted to help these patients, free them from chains, tests and tubes. It was a surreal feeling that overcame her, and she spoke with such physique, she wasn't sure if her words were her own.

"It's going to take time, but I'm _going _to help you. I have a plan to start with."


	7. Authors Note

**Alright people! I am so, so sorry. I have a very good reason for the late update. I was...er... kinda...um...in the hospital. Yup. Not my favorite place to end up for a week. I'm not going into details or anything, but lets just say I'm better now and will continue to write this story as soon as I can. I'm still recovering and all so it'll be a slow process. But thanks for all of those fans who are sticking it out with me! :)**

**~Hollyberry**


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